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Sarah Berardo

Sarah Berardo

Running

Served as envoy

  • 2022  –  Fiji

Sarah grew up participating in various youth sports- those experiences shaped her love of athleticism and were an underlying thread throughout her life and early career. She capitalized on her athletic career to study at Ursinus College while playing softball and working in the Sports Medicine Clinic as the Head Athletic Training Aide. After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Health and Exercise Physiology and concentrations in Coaching and Wellness education, she pursued her passion of youth development as a Student Success Coach in Memphis, Tennessee with the AmeriCorps organization – City Year Memphis.

In Memphis, she worked in a 7th grade math classroom providing academic, attendance and social-emotional learning support through a Positive Youth Development lens. She also led the Afterschool program focused on additional academic support and diverse enrichment activities. During her time with City Year Memphis, she also coached the school’s first softball team in 10 years. After her service year, Sarah joined Peace Corps Ukraine as a Community Youth Development Volunteer.

As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine, Sarah worked with a local youth sports NGO coaching soccer trainings and tournaments in local underserved communities and at a local school for youth with mental disabilities. She also facilitated Adult English clubs focused on Emotional Intelligence and Youth Clubs focused on Youth Empowerment and Community Involvement. These experiences in Sport-based Youth Development and Positive Youth Development helped form the base of her “Whole Child” youth development approach she now utilizes in Washington, DC.

Currently, Sarah is the Associate Program Manager at Teens Run DC. Teens Run DC is a community organization focused on empowering youth to envision and work towards the achievement of personal goals through distance running, mentoring and social emotional learning programs in underserved areas of Washington, DC. Sarah manages the coaches in the partnered schools as they provide lunch time programs, after school run clubs and Saturday community wide programing.
When Youth Sports are combined with Positive Youth Development, the affect on the youth involved is exponential and life altering. Programs such as Teens Run DC help provide youth with the social support they need to continue on a positive life path and strive for the fulfilling future at the height of their potential.